RP political killings continue - Amnesty Int'l
08/29/2008 | 04:02 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Political killings and forced disappearances in the Philippines have not ceased despite government efforts to address the violence, Amnesty International said Friday.
The human rights group said it has recorded at least 200 political killings and more than 200 forced disappearances in the country since 2001.
The victims typically have included members of left-wing groups, human rights organizations and trade unions, as well as journalists and church and indigenous leaders, it said.
Amnesty said the attacks were "not an unconnected series of criminal murders but are part of a politically motivated pattern of killings."
Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, in charge of a task force created to solve extrajudicial killings and disappearances, said the government was addressing the problem but criticized the media for exaggerating the reports.
In an open letter, Amnesty officials urged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo "to ensure that all extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances are investigated promptly, impartially and effectively and that perpetrators are prosecuted in proceedings which meet international standards of fairness."
Leila de Lima, the head of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, acknowledged the killings and disappearances were linked to the government's military campaign to end a nearly 40-year-old communist insurgency.
Military officials have often accused left-wing activists of supporting the rebels.
"The victims of the ... killings were not the combatants. They were the thinkers, they were the ideologues," de Lima said. But she also said there has been a "significant reduction" in the number of political killings and disappearances since last year.
Victims' families have cited flaws in the justice system, such as delayed investigations, inadequate crime scene analysis leading to a lack of forensic evidence, and an unwillingness by investigators to interview suspects who belong to military and police units, Amnesty said.
Blancaflor said in less than eight months since his task force was formed, it had already led to the arrest of several suspects and a conviction in one political killing. - AP
The human rights group said it has recorded at least 200 political killings and more than 200 forced disappearances in the country since 2001.
The victims typically have included members of left-wing groups, human rights organizations and trade unions, as well as journalists and church and indigenous leaders, it said.
Amnesty said the attacks were "not an unconnected series of criminal murders but are part of a politically motivated pattern of killings."
Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, in charge of a task force created to solve extrajudicial killings and disappearances, said the government was addressing the problem but criticized the media for exaggerating the reports.
In an open letter, Amnesty officials urged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo "to ensure that all extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances are investigated promptly, impartially and effectively and that perpetrators are prosecuted in proceedings which meet international standards of fairness."
Leila de Lima, the head of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, acknowledged the killings and disappearances were linked to the government's military campaign to end a nearly 40-year-old communist insurgency.
Military officials have often accused left-wing activists of supporting the rebels.
"The victims of the ... killings were not the combatants. They were the thinkers, they were the ideologues," de Lima said. But she also said there has been a "significant reduction" in the number of political killings and disappearances since last year.
Victims' families have cited flaws in the justice system, such as delayed investigations, inadequate crime scene analysis leading to a lack of forensic evidence, and an unwillingness by investigators to interview suspects who belong to military and police units, Amnesty said.
Blancaflor said in less than eight months since his task force was formed, it had already led to the arrest of several suspects and a conviction in one political killing. - AP
